#corporatism — Public Fediverse posts

#MarkCarney is attempting to force #Canadians into a “let the motherfucker burn” moment in regards to #climatechange and our country’s response.

Turncoat #Liberals and their supporting #Corporations are tripling down on #climatedestruction with new #pipelines, #aidatacenters, and #LNG, despite the majority of Canadians opposing abandoning our climate goals.

After all our work fighting Climate Change, Corporate propaganda now tells us “It’s inevitable, get used to it”.

What’s made clear is that the #economy means more to corporate owned politicians than our communities or our votes.

Ultimately, #Corporatism will rule over the people’s interest, no matter how much our communities will pay.

These #neocon #CarneyLiberals gave strategic voters in #cdnpoli exactly what we voted against, a conservative agenda.

This is political fraud, yet few seem to notice due to Carney’s #ShockDoctrine threat of a racist, fascist old fart who will be dead in a year or two.

Carney’s #Liberals are #traitors to our country and this #earth, every single one of them. Vote them all out.

#canpoli #sellouts #liars #profiteers #electionreform #ndp #avilewiis

RE: https://climatejustice.social/@PeterRu/116822476038269087

❝ CORPORATE DEMOCRATS ❞

=

CORPORATISTS

we know #corporatism is #fascism.

∴

corporate democrats are NOT centrists. they are the fascists of the #DemocraticParty

if your opponent is a fascist, you cannot be “a little bit fascist“ and call that #centrism.

a true Democratic party would defend #democracy and oppose fascism.

a true Democratic party would be an #antifascism party and make that the anchor of their political platform.

you are for fascism or against it. it’s as simple as that.

@cdarwin

and adding to my own comment, the cost of war only looks like #cost seen from one side - that of the people, the public, the majority, the tax payers -

from where our politicians live, it looks like #profit

https://aje.news/bzyfrb

#iran #war #benefits #corporatism

RE: https://kolektiva.social/@HeavenlyPossum/116812355612570598

see also: Barack Obama vs., amongst others:

- Chelsea Manning
- Edward Snowden
- Thomas Drake
- John Kiriakou
- Jeffrey Sterling
- Reality Winner

and his use of the whole fascist #policeState apparatus created with the #PatriotAct ―especially the “anti-terrorist” fusion centers― to blacklist and suppress #anticapitalist (aka #antifascist) writers & activists:

Officials Cast Wide Net in Monitoring #Occupy Protests https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/23/us/officials-cast-wide-net-in-monitoring-occupy-protests.html

#DemocraticParty #corporatism #warOnWhistleblowers

If you can buy the US government for mere hundreds of millions of dollars, but in return get it to award you with contracts for tens of billions of dollars, why wouldn’t Elon Musk do it?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=skV5W13VuUs

#usa #corruption #elonmusk #corporatism

RE: https://masto.ai/@Nonilex/116793594324120933

R̶o̶n̶a̶l̶d̶ R̶e̶a̶g̶a̶n̶
M̶a̶r̶g̶a̶r̶e̶t̶ T̶h̶a̶t̶c̶h̶e̶r̶
A̶u̶g̶u̶s̶t̶o̶ P̶i̶n̶o̶c̶h̶e̶t̶
P̶o̶p̶e̶ N̶a̶z̶i̶
P̶o̶p̶e̶ R̶a̶t̶
G̶e̶o̶r̶g̶e̶ H̶ B̶u̶s̶h̶
D̶i̶c̶k̶ C̶h̶e̶n̶e̶y̶
C̶a̶r̶l̶o̶s̶ R̶o̶m̶e̶r̶o̶ B̶a̶r̶c̶e̶l̶ó̶
H̶e̶n̶r̶y̶ K̶i̶s̶s̶i̶n̶g̶e̶r̶

A̶L̶A̶N̶ G̶R̶E̶E̶N̶S̶P̶A̶N̶

#fascistocracy #neoliberalism #corporatism #fascism #RestInPiss

RE: https://mstdn.social/@leftylabourtech/116700252660974410

💯 but it's really hard to imagine #Carney doing so. He's as corporate as they come.

#capitalism #corporatism

– an emphasis on discipline, manliness and militarism – linked to authoritarianism and often involving the use of paramilitary forces ( #PeteHegseth's #PulpFiction speech, his #antisecularism/ #theocracy, connections to #Manosphere ideology/ #WarriorEthos, #ICE)
– #irredentism (Canada)/ #imperialism (Venezula, #Iran)
– #Corporatism ( #ElonMusk, #Palantir, #AI companies, etc.)

4/

#WarriorEthosSpeech #PeteHegsethWarriorEthosSpeech

RE: https://mstdn.ca/@dbattistella/116658607632833674

Liberal, Tory
Same old story

Both parties are corrupt corporatists trying to convince us proles that what's good for global corporations is what's best for everyone - in fact, they say, there's no alternative.

#cdnpoli #Canada #corporatism #fascism

RE: https://universeodon.com/@georgetakei/116653621744686968

Unbelievably corrupt. The US will never be the same.

#fascism #corporatism

Canada is a the world leader in rigged markets that pander to MBA fck-wits: “If I was WestJet’s CEO, I would not want any competition. I would want to make it as monopolistic or duopolistic for maximizing profit,” he told the Star.
#airlines #WestJet #competition #oligopoly #rigged #consumers #corporatism #Canada #Cdnbusiness #bussiness #markets #regulations
https://www.thestar.com/business/document-shows-westjets-push-against-federal-air-passenger-rights-regulations/article_04d36601-d56e-49f9-b8a1-650bc3ef3e94.html

"We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." -- Louis Brandeis

#newbrandeis #antitrust #democracy #bigtech #surveillancecapitalism #wealth #wealthconcentration #politics #politicaltheory #autocracy #corporatism #corporatismisfascism #fascism #supremecourt #hipsterantitrust #ftc #regulation #regulatorycapture

#Politics is just theater, designed to divide us, the real problem is corporate power that is crushing us.
#corporatism #bigtech #bigpharma #bigfood
https://youtube.com/watch?v=a2OHTHRvIkM&is=bGWTHYCLcO0NJm78

The European Union is planning a major hand-out to big corporations like #Bayer and #BASF, that aim to control the food chain even further. What do they intend to do? Scrapping safety and transparency rules for risky new GMOs, and let corporations profit from patented GM crops.
#EU #foodsafety #gmo
#AntiDemocratic #Corporatism
https://corporateeurope.org/en/2026/04/take-action-say-no-deregulation-gmo-food

In one of the most blatant pieces of malevolent corporate greed I've seen, I'm greeted by headlines today that around 2500 seafarers are still stranded in the Persian Gulf, simply because the shipping companies they work for don't want to spend any extra to fly them back to their homes.

You might be living in a rigged economic system if...

"From the start of the 2020s, American businesses have been formidable in maintaining and growing their profits. Despite a gantlet of challenges — a pandemic, tariffs, high inflation and wars in key commodity hubs — profits have leaped ahead."
#corporatism #riggedmarkets #economy #corruption #banks #oligarchy #plutocracy #businesses #inflation
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/business/economy/companies-profits-prices-iran-war.html

❝ The House Oversight Committee formally demanded answers from four federal agencies Monday on t͟h͟e͟ d͟e͟a͟t͟h͟s͟ a͟n͟d͟ d͟i͟s͟a͟p͟p͟e͟a͟r͟a͟n͟c͟e͟s͟ o͟f͟ a͟t͟ l͟e͟a͟s͟t͟ 1͟1͟ A͟m͟e͟r͟i͟c͟a͟n͟ s͟c͟i͟e͟n͟t͟i͟s͟t͟s͟ a͟n͟d͟ r͟e͟s͟e͟a͟r͟c͟h͟e͟r͟s͟ w͟i͟t͟h͟ t͟i͟e͟s͟ t͟o͟ N͟A͟S͟A͟, n͟u͟c͟l͟e͟a͟r͟ r͟e͟s͟e͟a͟r͟c͟h͟, a͟n͟d͟ c͟l͟a͟s͟s͟i͟f͟i͟e͟d͟ d͟e͟f͟e͟n͟s͟e͟ p͟r͟o͟g͟r͟a͟m͟s͟—several of them directly connected to the space defense technologies now being commercialized by S͟p͟a͟c͟e͟X͟ and B͟l͟u͟e͟ O͟r͟i͟g͟i͟n͟. ❞

and that’s your problem right there

https://fortune.com/2026/04/21/scientists-disappear-die-nasa-space-blue-origin-spacex/

#corporatism #corruptocracy #USMIL #cartelism

Pluralistic: A Pascal's Wager for AI Doomers (16 Apr 2026)

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://pluralistic.net/2026/04/16/pascals-wager/

RE: https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/116398678116637934

IBM continuing it’s long tradition of collaborating with nazis and fascists:

The Nazi Party: IBM & "Death's Calculator" - https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ibm-and-quot-death-s-calculator-quot-2

List of companies involved in the Holocaust - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_involved_in_the_Holocaust

Business collaboration with Nazi Germany - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_collaboration_with_Nazi_Germany

#fascism #corporatism #genocide #MAGA

As someone with an interest in cryptography and, I guess as an extension, tradecraft (shout out to Minnesota Spy Club), I thought it was interesting that the Irish military intelligence agency (formerly "J2") decided to "decloak" in the Irish Times:

• https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-the-news/the-spy-service-protecting-ireland-inc/ [podcast]
• https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/04/04/the-spy-is-the-boring-guy-in-a-suit-inside-the-states-military-intelligence-service/ [interview]

It all seems reasonable enough but I don't know about the whole thing about protecting (among other things) "Irish business interests abroad." And then to tell us that they're working for "Ireland Inc.?" IDK. Not really the kind of public image that inspires confidence.

#Spooks #Cryptography #Tradecraft #Facebook #Meta #RegulatoryCapture #Corporatism

Pluralistic: EU ready to cave to Trump on tech (04 Apr 2026)

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://pluralistic.net/2026/04/04/digital-subjugation/

RE: https://mstdn.ca/@thetyee/116291696000452272

#corporatism 🤮🤬

I am beyond repulsed by rightwing governments in BC who contract out "non-core" tasks inside public services, like food, bus drivers, HandyDart drivers, hospital transfers, laundry, security, cleaning, etc.

The bcndp government and its creatures can end all of these contracts today, and run it all AS the public service we all THINK it is, paying people good money and benefits.

#cdnpoli #canada #antifascist #elbowsup #bcpoli #vancouver #burnabybc #canlab #bcgreens #bcndp

RE: https://hachyderm.io/@akareilly/116220640483699920

🗣 LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!

#corporatism #fascism #discrimination #mysogony #rascism

I trust #InternetArchive with government documents more than I do the government! (Or #AI for that matter...)

Internet Archive is now an official #USGovernment document #library

by Steve Dent
Fri, July 25, 2025

"The US Senate has granted the Internet Archive federal depository status, making it officially part of an 1,100-library network that gives the public access to government documents, #KQED reported. The designation was made official in a letter from California Senator Alex Padilla to the Government Publishing Office that oversees the network. 'The Archive's digital-first approach makes it the perfect fit for a modern #FederalDepositoryLibrary, expanding access to federal government publications amid an increasingly digital landscape,' he wrote.

"Established by Congress in 1813, the Federal Depository Library Program is designed to help the public access government records. Each congressional member can designate up to two libraries, which include government information like budgets, a code of federal regulations, presidential documents, economic reports and census data.

"With its new status, the Internet Archive will be gain improved access to government materials, founder Brewster Kahle said in a statement. 'By being part of the program itself, it just gets us closer to the source of where the materials are coming from, so that it’s more reliably delivered to the Internet Archive, to then be made available to the patrons of the Internet Archive or partner libraries.' The Archive could also help other #libraries move toward #DigitalPreservation, given its experience in that area.

"It's some good news for the site which has faced legal battles of late. It was sued by major #publishers over loans of #DigitalBooks during the #Coronavirus epidemic and was forced by a federal court in 2023 to remove more than half a million titles. And more recently, major music labels filed lawsuits over its #Great78Project that strove to preserve #78RPM records. If it loses that case it could owe more than $700 million damages and possibly be forced to shut down.

"The new designation likely won't aid its legal problems, but it does affirm the site's importance to the public. 'In October, the Internet Archive will hit a milestone of 1 trillion pages,' Kahle wrote. 'And that 1 trillion is not just a testament to what libraries are able to do, but actually the sharing that people and governments have to try and create an #EducatedPopulace.' "

https://tech.yahoo.com/general/articles/internet-archive-now-official-us-123036550.html

#BigPublishing #Archives #BigMusic #CulturalPreservation #DigitalPreservation #WaybackMachine #Archiving #FairUse #Archives #Capitalism #Corporatism #FightForTheFuture #EmpoweringLibraries

I trust #InternetArchive with government documents more than I do the government! (Or #AI for that matter...)

Internet Archive is now an official #USGovernment document #library

by Steve Dent
Fri, July 25, 2025

"The US Senate has granted the Internet Archive federal depository status, making it officially part of an 1,100-library network that gives the public access to government documents, #KQED reported. The designation was made official in a letter from California Senator Alex Padilla to the Government Publishing Office that oversees the network. 'The Archive's digital-first approach makes it the perfect fit for a modern #FederalDepositoryLibrary, expanding access to federal government publications amid an increasingly digital landscape,' he wrote.

"Established by Congress in 1813, the Federal Depository Library Program is designed to help the public access government records. Each congressional member can designate up to two libraries, which include government information like budgets, a code of federal regulations, presidential documents, economic reports and census data.

"With its new status, the Internet Archive will be gain improved access to government materials, founder Brewster Kahle said in a statement. 'By being part of the program itself, it just gets us closer to the source of where the materials are coming from, so that it’s more reliably delivered to the Internet Archive, to then be made available to the patrons of the Internet Archive or partner libraries.' The Archive could also help other #libraries move toward #DigitalPreservation, given its experience in that area.

"It's some good news for the site which has faced legal battles of late. It was sued by major #publishers over loans of #DigitalBooks during the #Coronavirus epidemic and was forced by a federal court in 2023 to remove more than half a million titles. And more recently, major music labels filed lawsuits over its #Great78Project that strove to preserve #78RPM records. If it loses that case it could owe more than $700 million damages and possibly be forced to shut down.

"The new designation likely won't aid its legal problems, but it does affirm the site's importance to the public. 'In October, the Internet Archive will hit a milestone of 1 trillion pages,' Kahle wrote. 'And that 1 trillion is not just a testament to what libraries are able to do, but actually the sharing that people and governments have to try and create an #EducatedPopulace.' "

https://tech.yahoo.com/general/articles/internet-archive-now-official-us-123036550.html

#BigPublishing #Archives #BigMusic #CulturalPreservation #DigitalPreservation #WaybackMachine #Archiving #FairUse #Archives #Capitalism #Corporatism #FightForTheFuture #EmpoweringLibraries

I trust #InternetArchive with government documents more than I do the government! (Or #AI for that matter...)

Internet Archive is now an official #USGovernment document #library

by Steve Dent
Fri, July 25, 2025

"The US Senate has granted the Internet Archive federal depository status, making it officially part of an 1,100-library network that gives the public access to government documents, #KQED reported. The designation was made official in a letter from California Senator Alex Padilla to the Government Publishing Office that oversees the network. 'The Archive's digital-first approach makes it the perfect fit for a modern #FederalDepositoryLibrary, expanding access to federal government publications amid an increasingly digital landscape,' he wrote.

"Established by Congress in 1813, the Federal Depository Library Program is designed to help the public access government records. Each congressional member can designate up to two libraries, which include government information like budgets, a code of federal regulations, presidential documents, economic reports and census data.

"With its new status, the Internet Archive will be gain improved access to government materials, founder Brewster Kahle said in a statement. 'By being part of the program itself, it just gets us closer to the source of where the materials are coming from, so that it’s more reliably delivered to the Internet Archive, to then be made available to the patrons of the Internet Archive or partner libraries.' The Archive could also help other #libraries move toward #DigitalPreservation, given its experience in that area.

"It's some good news for the site which has faced legal battles of late. It was sued by major #publishers over loans of #DigitalBooks during the #Coronavirus epidemic and was forced by a federal court in 2023 to remove more than half a million titles. And more recently, major music labels filed lawsuits over its #Great78Project that strove to preserve #78RPM records. If it loses that case it could owe more than $700 million damages and possibly be forced to shut down.

"The new designation likely won't aid its legal problems, but it does affirm the site's importance to the public. 'In October, the Internet Archive will hit a milestone of 1 trillion pages,' Kahle wrote. 'And that 1 trillion is not just a testament to what libraries are able to do, but actually the sharing that people and governments have to try and create an #EducatedPopulace.' "

https://tech.yahoo.com/general/articles/internet-archive-now-official-us-123036550.html

#BigPublishing #Archives #BigMusic #CulturalPreservation #DigitalPreservation #WaybackMachine #Archiving #FairUse #Archives #Capitalism #Corporatism #FightForTheFuture #EmpoweringLibraries

I trust #InternetArchive with government documents more than I do the government! (Or #AI for that matter...)

Internet Archive is now an official #USGovernment document #library

by Steve Dent
Fri, July 25, 2025

"The US Senate has granted the Internet Archive federal depository status, making it officially part of an 1,100-library network that gives the public access to government documents, #KQED reported. The designation was made official in a letter from California Senator Alex Padilla to the Government Publishing Office that oversees the network. 'The Archive's digital-first approach makes it the perfect fit for a modern #FederalDepositoryLibrary, expanding access to federal government publications amid an increasingly digital landscape,' he wrote.

"Established by Congress in 1813, the Federal Depository Library Program is designed to help the public access government records. Each congressional member can designate up to two libraries, which include government information like budgets, a code of federal regulations, presidential documents, economic reports and census data.

"With its new status, the Internet Archive will be gain improved access to government materials, founder Brewster Kahle said in a statement. 'By being part of the program itself, it just gets us closer to the source of where the materials are coming from, so that it’s more reliably delivered to the Internet Archive, to then be made available to the patrons of the Internet Archive or partner libraries.' The Archive could also help other #libraries move toward #DigitalPreservation, given its experience in that area.

"It's some good news for the site which has faced legal battles of late. It was sued by major #publishers over loans of #DigitalBooks during the #Coronavirus epidemic and was forced by a federal court in 2023 to remove more than half a million titles. And more recently, major music labels filed lawsuits over its #Great78Project that strove to preserve #78RPM records. If it loses that case it could owe more than $700 million damages and possibly be forced to shut down.

"The new designation likely won't aid its legal problems, but it does affirm the site's importance to the public. 'In October, the Internet Archive will hit a milestone of 1 trillion pages,' Kahle wrote. 'And that 1 trillion is not just a testament to what libraries are able to do, but actually the sharing that people and governments have to try and create an #EducatedPopulace.' "

https://tech.yahoo.com/general/articles/internet-archive-now-official-us-123036550.html

#BigPublishing #Archives #BigMusic #CulturalPreservation #DigitalPreservation #WaybackMachine #Archiving #FairUse #Archives #Capitalism #Corporatism #FightForTheFuture #EmpoweringLibraries

I trust #InternetArchive with government documents more than I do the government! (Or #AI for that matter...)

Internet Archive is now an official #USGovernment document #library

by Steve Dent
Fri, July 25, 2025

"The US Senate has granted the Internet Archive federal depository status, making it officially part of an 1,100-library network that gives the public access to government documents, #KQED reported. The designation was made official in a letter from California Senator Alex Padilla to the Government Publishing Office that oversees the network. 'The Archive's digital-first approach makes it the perfect fit for a modern #FederalDepositoryLibrary, expanding access to federal government publications amid an increasingly digital landscape,' he wrote.

"Established by Congress in 1813, the Federal Depository Library Program is designed to help the public access government records. Each congressional member can designate up to two libraries, which include government information like budgets, a code of federal regulations, presidential documents, economic reports and census data.

"With its new status, the Internet Archive will be gain improved access to government materials, founder Brewster Kahle said in a statement. 'By being part of the program itself, it just gets us closer to the source of where the materials are coming from, so that it’s more reliably delivered to the Internet Archive, to then be made available to the patrons of the Internet Archive or partner libraries.' The Archive could also help other #libraries move toward #DigitalPreservation, given its experience in that area.

"It's some good news for the site which has faced legal battles of late. It was sued by major #publishers over loans of #DigitalBooks during the #Coronavirus epidemic and was forced by a federal court in 2023 to remove more than half a million titles. And more recently, major music labels filed lawsuits over its #Great78Project that strove to preserve #78RPM records. If it loses that case it could owe more than $700 million damages and possibly be forced to shut down.

"The new designation likely won't aid its legal problems, but it does affirm the site's importance to the public. 'In October, the Internet Archive will hit a milestone of 1 trillion pages,' Kahle wrote. 'And that 1 trillion is not just a testament to what libraries are able to do, but actually the sharing that people and governments have to try and create an #EducatedPopulace.' "

https://tech.yahoo.com/general/articles/internet-archive-now-official-us-123036550.html

#BigPublishing #Archives #BigMusic #CulturalPreservation #DigitalPreservation #WaybackMachine #Archiving #FairUse #Archives #Capitalism #Corporatism #FightForTheFuture #EmpoweringLibraries

it's not just #RegulatoryCapture is it.

It's #CulturalCapture as well.

#Corporatism #Inhumane #ProfitsBeforePeople #AgedCareAustralia #SchoolSystem #AustralianPublicService #Unions #Solidarity

@melissabeartrix @SleepyZee
The use of the word "#scam" is appropriate.

What if we told you the scam gets #inception-level deep. As in, while you use #AusPost your packets are decrypted by Amazo- (snip) we mean, #scamazon.

We should also point out the #Medibank was scam'azon, also. A point conveniently omitted from all #legacyMedia coverage that happened to find us.

#cloudFront #digitalColonialism #dotcons #digitalFascism #fascism #corporatism #privatisation #amAZON #propagandaMedia

#TigerSwan Former Delta Operator sought to incite violence at the #DakotaAccessPipeline

by Jack Murphy Feb 26, 2018

“’Everyone just saw #oil and saw dollar signs,' a security contractor who worked on the #DAPL project told SOFREP before commenting that Reese, 'wants to be the next #ErikPrince.' At one point, TigerSwan was making a million dollars in profit per month while working on DAPL. No one at the company wanted to see that spigot turn off so some employees provoked the protesters in order to prolong the conflict. ETP was unaware of this as their director of security, Eric Lyons, was inexperienced and took whatever TigerSwan said at face value.

“Another incident took place when Porter ordered several ex-Rangers to do penetration tests of the protester camps by driving a pickup truck right through their perimeter lines. The former Rangers blasted into Camp 3 where many of the more radical #NativeAmericans were known to be and made a loop through the camp. As protesters moved their vehicles to close off the entrance and trap them, the Rangers drove over a snow bank and escaped. Next, they drove down to Camp 1 and repeated the same tactic. This time the Native Americans drove after them and they got into a high-speed pursuit down the road.

“This action resulted in the women and children vacating the camps, while those remaining went up to 100% security and prepared for law enforcement and security contractors to come clear the camps, which was never going to happen. The #protesters simply burned through resources and the native American tribe was not in a position to help them since they had spent the water protector donations to the tune of 3.2 million dollars in order to settle their casino debts.

“‘I know for a fact that the money went into a lot of people’s pockets,' said Eddie Stormcloud who was a leader in one of the #WaterProtector camps and attended many closed-door sessions with the tribal council. Stormcloud also told SOFREP that the true amount of money was closer to nine million dollars rather than the 3.2 reported.  At the end of the day, it seemed that everyone was cashing in on the situation at #StandingRock.

“‘Porter’s real goal was to keep this thing going as long as possible,' a former TigerSwan employee told SOFREP. 'Some of the protesters wanted to do big actions because they would get more media coverage and more funding. TigerSwan wanted it to happened because their contract would be prolonged. Meanwhile, ETP had no idea.'

“One of the first contractors on the ground at #DAPL told SOFREP that, 'when TigerSwan came on that was when the shit show started. They came in with this military ideology when it was a police operation. They were almost willing to go in and do things that RGT [Russel Group] would never do because you can’t by law. So the oil company looked to TigerSwan as the authority and a lot of guys went over to them.'

“The security contractor continued, saying that TigerSwan had an attitude of, 'we are going to walk into a room with a bunch of thugs and will be the biggest thug in the room.'

“‘They are trying to prolong this as a cash cow,' another contractor lamented.

“TigerSwan sent an unsigned and undated document from a nameless e-mail address to SOFREP denying the contents of this article.  It reads in part, 'The claims you make have no basis in reality and are completely made up.'  The document goes on to state, 'At no time were there any approved operations outside of the scope of the contract. Just like any dynamic organization, the client’s enterprise team for DAPL would come up with creative ideas to do their jobs differently, but nothing outside the scope of the contract was ever approved.'

"A legacy brought home from #Iraq and #Afghanistan: The conflict at Standing Rock created a number of precedents for the future of #protests and #counterprotest actions. While companies like #Blackwater were private military companies operating abroad, TigerSwan brought the tactics that contractors and soldiers use in Baghdad to American soil for the first time.

“'Someone is going to get shot, and then a bunch of people are going to get shot, and then we are going to have a #WoundedKnee III. That’s going to reflect badly on the national guard, on law enforcement, and certainly on private security contractors,' Landon Steele said. 'Guys need to be really leery and really careful and ask the really hard questions when a contract holder calls them and says we have a contract here in the US.'

“Today, TigerSwan employs contractors running static and roving security patrols for the #MarinerEast2 #ME2 pipeline being built in #Pennsylvania by #ETP. The company also has eyes on the Atlantic pipeline and would like to bid on upcoming security contracts that will need to be fulfilled for the project.

“TigerSwan’s internal security assessments anticipate protests when the Atlantic pipeline is run through North Carolina and West Virginia.”

Full article:
https://sofrep.com/news/tigerswan-former-delta-operator-sought-to-incite-violence-at-the-dakota-access-pipeline/

#WaterIsLife #BigOil #OilAndGasIndustry #NoDAPL #HumanRights #Covert #Corporatism #Corporatocracy #Corruption #Capitalism #Colonialism #ACAB #Activism #ClimateChange
#EnvironmentalJustice
#ErikPrinceColonialism #CorporateColonialism #Blackwater #TigerSwan

Revolving door from #CIA to #Blackwater

By Greg Miller
Aug. 21, 2009

WASHINGTON — 
“The CIA’s decision to hire contractors from Blackwater USA for a covert assassination program was part of an expanding relationship in which the agency has relied on the widely criticized firm for tasks including guarding CIA lockups and loading missiles on Predator aircraft, according to current and former U.S. government officials.

“The 2004 contract cemented what was then a burgeoning relationship with Blackwater, setting the stage for a series of departures by senior CIA officials who took high-level positions with the North Carolina security company.
“The revolving door helped fuel a backlash against what many inside the agency and on Capitol Hill came to regard as an overuse of outside firms, many of which made millions of dollars after filling their staffs with former CIA employees.

“‘I have believed for a long time that the intelligence community is over-reliant on contractors to carry out its work,' said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. 'This is especially a problem when contractors are used to carry out activities that are inherently governmental.'
“Her comment underscored how the Blackwater contract’s disclosure has renewed questions about the sort of work the CIA has outsourced since the Sept. 11 attacks. In recent years, the agency has also faced criticism for using contractors to interrogate prisoners.

“Experts said that there may not be any legal barrier against using contractors to kill terrorism suspects or subject them to brutal interrogations. Still, they said, there tends to be deep public discomfort with the idea of delegating certain activities -- whether issuing pardons, making arrests or pulling triggers -- to people who are not direct government employees.

“‘The use of force has been traditionally thought of as inherently governmental,' said Jeffrey Smith, former CIA general counsel. 'The use of a contractor actually employing lethal force is clearly troublesome, but I’m not sure it’s necessarily illegal.'

“U.S. officials familiar with the targeted-killing program said that Blackwater’s involvement was limited in scope and duration, and that the arrangement ended several years before CIA Director Leon E. Panetta killed the program two months ago.
“The program was kept secret from Congress for nearly eight years before Panetta told lawmakers about it in June. CIA officials have emphasized that the program was never operational and that it did not lead to the capture or killing of a single terrorism suspect.
“‘It was never successful, so he ended it,' CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said. Panetta 'never suggested to Congress that anyone at the CIA misled the intelligence committees or otherwise broke the law.'

“The CIA delivered a report to Congress earlier this month after conducting an internal investigation of the program, which was launched after the Sept. 11 attacks but was canceled and restarted several times under different regimes at the agency.
“Officials familiar with the report said that the agency did not have a formal contract with Blackwater in connection with the targeted-killing program. Instead, the agency hired the company’s founder, Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL, and other Blackwater executives to help turn an idea for forming Al Qaeda hit squads into an operational program.

“The effort ranged from consulting with top executives to carrying out training exercises at Blackwater’s headquarters in North Carolina. Company officials did not respond to requests for comment.

“Blackwater was also closely associated with the CIA’s Predator aircraft operations, one of the most successful weapons in the agency’s arsenal against the Al Qaeda terrorist network. Former CIA officials said that from the beginning, Blackwater provided security at the air base in Shamsi, Pakistan, where the Predator aircraft were based.

“At the time, the company that manufactures the drone, General Atomics, was responsible for loading the Hellfire missiles used to target dozens of Al Qaeda leaders. But that task was subsequently switched to Blackwater, sources said.
“The agency 'has always used contractors,' said a former CIA official familiar with the Predator operations. 'You have to be an explosives expert,' and the CIA has never sought to use its own personnel for the highly specialized task. 'We didn’t care who put on the munitions as long as it wasn’t CIA case officers,' the former official said.

“Gimigliano declined to comment on Blackwater’s involvement with Predator, saying the CIA 'as a rule does not deny or confirm reports on contractual relationships.'
“Blackwater changed its name to Xe Services LLC to escape the notoriety that followed a series of bloody incidents in Iraq, where the firm was accused of employing excessive force while providing protection for State Department employees. In one case, Blackwater guards were accused of opening fire in a crowded Baghdad square and killing 17 civilians.

“The CIA had hired Blackwater in a similar capacity in 2002 to provide security at agency facilities in Afghanistan. Two years later, the CIA turned to Blackwater executives for help with the assassination program largely because the company, which has hired dozens of former U.S. special-operations soldiers, was seen as having deeper expertise than the agency itself on clandestine lethal operations.

“The use of contractors for the task was not considered an issue under the secret authorities that then-President George W. Bush had granted the agency.
'If there’s a covert-action finding that says, ‘Go hunt down Osama Bin Laden’ -- which there was -- the agency can use whatever means necessary,' said a former senior CIA official.

“Over the next several years, the ties between the CIA and Blackwater deepened as a series of CIA executives took senior roles at the company.
“Among them were J. Cofer Black, former head of the CIA’s counter-terrorism center; Robert Richer, former No. 2 for operations; Alvin B. 'Buzzy' Krongard, former executive director; and Enrique 'Ric' Prado, military chief of the counter-terrorism center.

“Former CIA Director Michael V. Hayden sought to reverse that trend by refusing to grant security clearances to contractors until at least 12 months after they had resigned from the agency. But Hayden defended the use of contractors during a panel discussion on the issue Thursday.

“‘We go to contractors because they possess certain experience or certain knowledge that we don’t have inherently inside our workforce,' Hayden said. 'We generally use the best athlete available in the draft.’”

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-aug-21-na-cia-blackwater21-story.html

#Blackwater CIA #TigerSwan #BigOil #HumanRights #Covert #Corporatism #Corporatocracy
#Corruption #Capitalism #Colonialism

Security Firm Running #DakotaAccessPipeline Intelligence Has Ties to U.S. Military Work in #Iraq and #Afghanistan

By Steve Horn
Oct 28, 2016

"#TigerSwan is one of several security firms under investigation for its work guarding the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota while potentially without a permit. Besides this recent work on the #StandingRockSioux protests in #NorthDakota, this company has offices in Iraq and Afghanistan and is run by a special forces Army veteran.

"According to a summary of the investigation, TigerSwan 'is in charge of Dakota Access intelligence and supervises the overall security.'

"The Morton County, North Dakota, Sheriff’s Department also recently concluded that another security company, Frost Kennels, operated in the state while unlicensed to do so and could face criminal charges. The firm’s attack dogs bit #protesters at a heated Labor Day weekend protest.

"Law enforcement and private security at the North Dakota pipeline protests have faced criticism for maintaining a militarized presence in the area. The American Civil Liberties Union (#ACLU) and National Lawyer’s Guild have filed multiple open records requests to learn more about the extent of this #militarization, and over 133,000 citizens have signed a petition calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene and quell the backlash.

"The Federal Aviation Administration has also implemented a no-fly zone, which bars anyone but law enforcement from flying within a 4-mile radius and 3500 feet above the ground in the protest area. #DallasGoldtooth, an organizer on the scenes in North Dakota with the #IndigenousEnvironmentalNetwork, said on Facebook that '#DAPL private security planes and choppers were flying all day' within the designated no-fly zone.

"Donnell Hushka, the designated public information officer for the North Dakota Tactical Operation Center, which is tasked with overseeing the no-fly zone, did not respond to repeated queries about designated private entities allowed to fly in no-fly zone airspace.

"What is TigerSwan?

"TigerSwan has offices in Iraq, Afghanistan, #Jordan, #SaudiArabia, #India, and #LatinAmerica and has headquarters in North Carolina. In the past year, TigerSwan won two U.S. Department of State contracts worth over $7 million to operate in Afghanistan, according to USASpending.gov.

"TigerSwan, however, claims on its website that the contract is worth $25 million, and said in a press release that the State Department contract called for the company to 'monitor, assess, and advise current and future nation building and stability initiatives in Afghanistan.' Since 2008, TigerSwan has won about $57.7 million worth of U.S. government contracts and subcontracts for security services.

"Company founder and CEO James Reese, a veteran of the elite Army Delta Force, served as the 'lead advisor for Special Operations to the Director of the CIA for planning, operations and integration for the invasion of Afghanistan and Operation Enduring Freedom' in Iraq, according to his company biography. Army Delta partakes in mostly covert and high-stakes missions and is part of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the latter well known for killing Osama Bin Laden.

"One of TigerSwan’s advisory board members, Charles Pittman, has direct ties to the #OilAndGasIndustry. Pittman “served as President of #Amoco Egypt Oil Company, Amoco Eurasia Petroleum Company, and Regional President BP Amoco plc. (covering the #MiddleEast, the Caspian Sea region, Egypt, and India),' according to his company biography.

'Sad, But Not Surprising'

"Investigative journalist #JeremyScahill told #DemocracyNow! in a 2009 interview that TigerSwan did some covert operations work with #Blackwater USA, dubbed the 'world’s most powerful #mercenary army' in his book by the same name. Blackwater has also guarded #OilPipelines in central #Asia, according to Scahill’s book.

"Reese advised Blackwater and took a leave of absence from TigerSwan in 2008 in the aftermath of the #NisourSquareMassacre, a shooting in Iraq conducted by Blackwater officers which saw 17 Iraqi civilians killed. TigerSwan has a business relationship with Babylon Eagles Security Company, a private security firm headquartered in Iraq which also has had business ties with Blackwater.

"'It is sad, but not surprising, that this firm has ties to the US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq,' Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the women-led peace group #CODEPINK and the co-founder of the human rights group #GlobalExchange, told DeSmog. 'It is another terrifying example of how our violent interventions abroad come home to haunt us in the form of repression and violation of our civil rights.'

"The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Private Investigation and Security Board are also conducting parallel investigations to the one recently completed by Morton County. TigerSwan did not comment on questions posed about their contract."

https://www.desmog.com/2016/10/28/private-security-firm-dakota-access-iraq-afghanistan-blackwater/

#TigerSwan #BigOil #NoDAPL #Blackwater #HumanRights #Covert #Corporatism #CIA #Corporatocracy
#Corruption #Capitalism #Colonialism #ACAB #ErikPrince #ErikPrinceColonialism

Extent of #Blackwater and #CIA Collaboration Uncovered

By Yana Kunichoff
Published December 11, 2009

"New details of Blackwater participation in clandestine CIA raids detail the extent to which private security contractors were involved in covert government antiterror operations.

"According to former employees and current and former American intelligence officials, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because they feared repercussions, Blackwater security guards participated in clandestine raids to capture or kill suspected insurgents in #Iraq and #Afghanistan and in transportation of detainees on CIA flights.

"The raids against suspects were said to occur almost nightly between 2004 and 2006, the height of the Iraqi insurgency. Several of the former Blackwater employees said the lines dividing the government-sanctioned agencies (the CIA and the military) and Blackwater began to blur.

"This information highlights a more extensive relationship between the CIA and Blackwater, now re-named Xe Services, than government investigation had previously acknowledged.

"This was confirmed recently by an article about #ErikPrince, the founder of Blackwater, published in Vanity Fair. In it, Prince spoke about the extent of his involvement with the CIA, which ranged from putting together, funding and executing operations to bring personnel into 'denied areas' to targeting specific people for #assassination who were deemed enemies by the #USGovernment.

"Though Prince alleged that he participated as a private citizen and used his personal funds to carry out operations, the Blackwater employees interviewed by The New York Times confirmed both their full knowledge of and participation in the raids.

"#Xe spokesman Mark Corallo, however, continued to deny this."

Full article:
https://truthout.org/articles/extent-of-blackwater-and-cia-collaboration-uncovered/

#TigerSwan #BigOil #HumanRights #Covert #Corporatism #Corporatocracy
#Corruption #Capitalism #Colonialism

1960-1965: #Congo
In 1960, the Republic of the Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) declared its independence from Belgium and democratically elected its first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba. Shortly after he assumed power, President Joseph Kasavubu pushed him out of office amid a Belgian military invasion. Worried that the ensuing unrest provided fertile ground for Soviet incursion, the CIA encouraged and assisted attempts to kill Lumumba, arguing he was a communist leader akin to Castro. The CIA helped facilitate Lumumba’s capture in 1960 and assassination in 1961.
“This action precipitated the Congo Crisis (1960–1965), a period in which military leader Mobutu Sese Seko consolidated power in the country. In 1965, the #CIA supported Mobutu’s coup to take over the Republic of the Congo in the name of preventing the spread of communism. #Mobutu became a #dictator who ruled the country until 1997.”

https://www.history.com/news/us-overthrow-foreign-governments

#Africa #HumanRights 
#Covert 
#Corporatism
 #Corporatocracy 
#Corruption
 #Capitalism
 #Colonialism

#Japan will soon release #Fukushima #radioactive water into the #ocean. How worried should we be?

Some have cast doubt on the #IAEA’s findings, with China recently arguing that the group’s assessment “is not proof of the legality and legitimacy” of Fukushima’s wastewater release.

By Jessie Yeung, Mayumi Maruyama and Emiko Jozuka, July 5, 2023

"Robert H. Richmond, director of the Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of #Hawaii at Manoa, is among a group of international scientists working with the #PacificIslandForum to assess the wastewater release plan – including visits to the Fukushima site, and meetings with TEPCO, Japanese authorities and the IAEA. After reviewing the details of the plan, Richmond called it 'ill-advised' and premature.

"One concern is that diluting the wastewater might not be enough to reduce its impact on marine life. #Pollutants like tritium can pass through various levels of the #FoodChain – including plants, animals, and bacteria – and be '#bioaccumulated,' meaning they will build up in the marine #ecosystem, he said.

"He added that the world’s oceans are already under stress from #ClimateChange, ocean #acidification, #overfishing and #pollution. The last thing it needs is to be treated like a 'dumping ground,' he said.

"And the potential risks won’t just affect the #AsiaPacific region. One 2012 study found evidence that bluefin #tuna had transported #radionuclides – radioactive isotopes like the ones in #nuclear #wastewater – from Fukushima across the Pacific to California."

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/07/04/asia/japan-fukushima-wastewater-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html

#NoDumping #FukushimaWater #TEPCOLies #PacificOcean #WaterIsLife #Corporatism #Corruption #JapanGovernment

@hakan_geijer
Yes, the #identityLeft are really just that — they are finding their identity. Shame they can be so rabbid, though. On Facebook they were awful. Mention #BernieSanders and you were a traitor to #TheParty. Humor and a lot of patience is needed.

Hopefully soon we won't have to work so hard to end the #cronyism/ #corporatism/ #monopoly though. *wink*

#gameTheory #antiTrust #whyBitcoin